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Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 19, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 doesn’t open until May 2nd next year, but that doesn’t stop the marketing machine at San Diego Comic-Con. At their panel they’ll apparently be dropping more news about Jamie Foxx as Electro later. If you’re at SDCC, you’re probably struggling to get to the panel yourself. But the rest of us at home can just enjoy this footage without the crowds. After watching this clip, though, it’s not really doing much to get me excited. Spider-Man is one of my favorite superheroes, but I haven’t really enjoyed the Mark Webb reboot. Perhaps I’ve become cold and cynical. I do appreciate that Andrew Garfield is a bit more cheeky, though! Check out the video below. Read more…
Tags: San Diego Comic-Con 2013, The Amazing Spider-Man
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 18, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
When looking at the comics that made the medium more respected in the 80s and 90s, one of the most notable titles was Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, a complete reinterpretation of an ancient DC comic book. I’ve only read the first volume, but I loved the dark, dreamy atmosphere. So I think it’s a little strange that Diane Nelson, the current president of DC, says her first choice for a new movie was a Sandman adaptation, saying “it could be as rich as the Harry Potter universe.” Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, sandman, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 18, 2013 in Animation, Videogames 
The first footage of Cartoon Network’s next Adventure Time and Regular Show games is out! Both Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW and Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land are being made by WayForward, the 2D masters who also made the previous Adventure Time game Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! However, the new AT game isn’t a 2D sidescroller with an overworld (a la Zelda II) like the previous one was. The new game is a multiplayer dungeon crawler, where you can play as Finn, Jake, Marceline, and Cinnamon Bun — yes, Cinnamon Bun! But of course, it’s got that Adventure Time charm, so I’d expect it to me more than just another Gauntlet game. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Adventure Time, Cartoon Network, PS3, Regular Show, Wii U, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 17, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes is one of the best newspaper comics ever, up there with the likes of Peanuts. The Kickstarter-funded documentary Dear Mr. Watterson examines the comic with the help of fellow comic creators and notable fans, including Seth Green and Foxtrot‘s Bill Amend. And now, you’ll be able to see it in theaters come November 15! Check out the latest trailer and then look for more updates on the website. Read more…
Tags: Calvin & Hobbes, Kickstarter
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 17, 2013 in Cinema, Comic Books 
[Note: This article vaguely references spoilers if you still haven’t seen Man of Steel.] I’ll admit to enjoying Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, though I still prefer the first two Superman films by Richard Donner. But the climax of the film felt like the still-in-the-works “DC Cinematic Universe” had blown its load before its actual creation; by comparison, the Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t trash New York City until the sixth film, keeping its origin-story threats small yet reasonably formidable. The long-running How It Should Have Ended (HISHE) YouTube series took special note of Man of Steel‘s ending, and they’ve crafted a more sensible ending for the film. Sure, it would be anticlimatic, and it doesn’t adequately establish Superman’s desire for peace before violence, but considering how much destruction there was in the finale, this may have been preferable for the inhabitants of Metropolis. Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Man of Steel, Superman, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 16, 2013 in Comic Books 
If you’re into webcomics, you may have heard of Kris Straub. The man has been working in webcomics for years, with one of his earliest projects being Checkerboard Nightmare, a meta-commentary on webcomics. Chainsawsuit is a near-daily loose parody of poorly drawn gag-a-day comics, and last year he wrapped up his seven-year sci-fi comic Starslip. But his latest project, in my opinion, is his finest work yet, easily surpassing anything else he’s done. Starting last year, Broodhollow is a story of a neurotic encyclopedia salesman traveling to a quaint town to receive the inheritance of a distant relative. Soon, he is begins to uncover dark secrets after strange events occur around him. As Straub puts it, it’s “Tintin goes to Innsmouth,” referencing both the adventure comic series by Herge and H.P. Lovecraft’s quiet town with sinister secrets in the Cthulhu Mythos. Read more…
Tags: Horror, webcomics
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 16, 2013 in Comic Books, Videogames 
If you were watching EVO 2013 over the weekend — which had a ton of intense, fun-t0-watch matches! — then you’ll have already heard about several fighting game announcements. But if you didn’t (and shame on you), then here’s some news: Super Street Fighter IV will be getting another update, supplanting the current version (Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition – Version 2012). This new version replaces the long name and simply goes by Ultra Street Fighter IV. Along with the usual game rebalancing and other tweaks, five new characters will be added: Hugo, Poison, Elena, Rolento, and a fifth character who is supposedly all-new, having never appeared in a Street Fighter game before. Read more…
Tags: Capcom, DC Comics, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Warner Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 15, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections, Star Wars 
Greedo arrives! Hasbro’s The Black Series of Star Wars figures has been fairly impressive. They’re 6-inch scale figures of everyone’s favorites from the various films. Wave 1 featured Luke, R2-D2, Darth Maul, and a Sandtrooper. Wave 2 seems to feature Boba Fett (which is debuting at SDCC) and Han Solo, but Greedo won’t arrive till wave 3. If you’re looking for Star Wars figures that look good but don’t break the budget, these are a pretty solid bet. I also like the minimalist packaging for the figures as well. Check out a few more images below! Read more…
Tags: Action Figures
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 15, 2013 in Design, Hobbies and Collections 
The Bottleneck Gallery has done a great job putting together an impressive lineup of artists and designers. With a new topic or focus each month, there’s always something new to look forward to, and their latest show is no exception. Where Is My Mind? is a new gallery covering anything in pop culture that messed with your head, tickled your brain, or pulled mental gymnastics. While you can visit the gallery itself in New York, if you can’t make it, their online store let’s you see all the pieces as well as order them. Many are very limited in number. There’s a little something for everyone! Check out more images below. Read more…
Tags: Bottleneck Gallery, Prints
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 14, 2013 in Hobbies and Collections 
You know, just a simple, nonchalant statement: “here it is!” This is an amazing model by Daniel Siskind, who has recreated a beach storming scene entirely from LEGO bricks. Featuring numerous little details – and also, the BIG details – this piece is seriously impressive. Daniel mentions that several other people had to help him with it since it got so big. The most stunning part? He plans on doubling its size later this year. Check out the video below for a closer look at this massive undertaking as well as hearing Daniel speak more about the work behind it. Read more…
Tags: Lego
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 14, 2013 in Star Wars 
Japanese candy and snack maker Glico is popular for their various treats, but mostly for Pocky, their most famous snack. And finally, after all these years, someone in their marketing department has stumbled upon the realization that a Pocky stick looks kind of like a lightsaber. Thus, one of the most clever cross-brand opportunities to ever exist came to fruition. While these are a Japanese candy, there are many places online you can buy and have them shipped over. You know, for science. Or maybe just your sweet tooth. Read more…
Tags: Candy, Food, Pocky
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 13, 2013 in Comic Books, Hobbies and Collections, Television 
The groovy vintage ad below from the swinging sixties showcases the Colorforms Batman Cartoon Kit: Read more…
Tags: Batman
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 13, 2013 in Television 
Did you want more Arrested Development in your life? Netflix may be looking to continue their relationship with Mitch Hurtwitz and the crew. Producer Brian Grazer confirmed that Netflix is looking into the possibility of a fifth season. Granted, the biggest leap to make will be getting the cast together again. It was the hardest part of the fourth season, and the use of green screen to unite characters that film their parts at different times and locations was the biggest criticism I had. Whether that will be tackled again remains to be seen, but I’d still love to see more of the Bluth family. Read more…
Tags: arrested development, Netflix
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 13, 2013 in Comic Books, Television 
With the new Marvel TV show Agents of SHIELD starting up this fall, I’m sure a lot of fans are wondering how Agent Coulson made his way onto the small screen given his fate in The Avengers. Jed Whedon, the co-creator of the show and (as you’ve probably guessed) brother of Joss Whedon, said that they’ll tell you – just not right away. “We can’t wait to pull the curtain back on that,” he teased. But it won’t happen in the first episode, it’ll be over the course of the whole season: “we’re going to take our time.” Most comic fans know that characters come back to life all the time, so this isn’t really a surprise – but it is the first time a wider audience will be enjoying this trope, so I can see why the Whedons are having fun with it. Read more…
Tags: Agents of SHIELD, Phil Coulson, The Avengers
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 12, 2013 in Cinema 
Spike Lee, I don’t know exactly what’s going on here. Your first trailer for Oldboy has arrived, and it makes me a little confused. On one hand, this seems pretty solid, with just the right amount of homage to the original film. On there other, I just can’t help but wonder how any changes will affect the story. From what we’ve heard from test screenings, it sounds like the “most important” parts of the story stay the same (if you’ve seen the film you know what I mean). So I suppose that’s good news. I just have conflicting emotions over this! And why does Josh Brolin look like Jim Carrey on the poster?! Watch the red band trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Oldboy
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 12, 2013 in Videogames 
Are you ready to give Gabe Newell all your money? The Steam Summer Getaway Sale has begun, and it brings with it a whole host of discounted games, along with a new meta-game to play. Steam Trading Cards are out of beta and are available to all Steam users now. How do you get these virtual trading cards? Just play the games! TF2, Half-Life, Bioshock: Infinite, Hotline Miami, Toki Tori 2, and more will drop cards into your Steam inventory as you play. You can also collect Steam Summer Getaway cards by combining your existing cards, nabbing you emoticons and wallpapers. On, and the sales too. Buying stuff in the sales. Read more…
Tags: sales, Steam, Valve
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 11, 2013 in Fandom, Hobbies and Collections 
If you were a child of the late 70s chances are that you may have owned at least one or two books in the Terran Trade Authority series. These coffee-table books were crammed with amazing spaceship art from the Star Wars era all illustrated with airbrushing and too much detail! This amazing fan video shown below shows a 3D take on this beloved classic. Sadly I was reading that the books are out of print and there are no plans to republish them. Read more…
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 11, 2013 in Cinema 
Many people have heard of it, even at international film festivals, but in case you’ve somehow missed it, here’s something crazy. Sharknado is the latest b-movie from The Asylum, and it’s airing tonight (Thursday, July 11, 2013) on SyFy at 9PM EST. It’s a movie about a tornado — of sharks. There’s not much more can be said about without spoiling bits! There’s a lot of hype surrounding this for a TV movie. I’ve personally seen some early segments, and Sharknado embraces the schlock wholeheartedly. But if you’re not yet convinced, try watching this trailer to prepare you for the premiere! Read more…
Tags: Syfy
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 11, 2013 in Comic Books, Television 
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will start airing Tuesdays this September on ABC. Clark Gregg’s Marvel Cinematic Universe character Phil Coulson is back as a main character, showing that rumors (or outright depictions) of his death were greatly exaggerated, and I couldn’t be happier. Check out this new featurette to see why. Sure, Grant Ward looks alright, but what’s great is when he shares a scene with Coulson. Here’s hoping the writing remains as good as the pilot written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen seems to be. Read more…
Tags: Agents of SHIELD, Disney, Marvel
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 10, 2013 in Videogames 
If you haven’t heard, Grand Theft Auto V is going to have three main characters, all playable as you rampage around an HD version of GTA: San Andreas‘s Los Santos (a.k.a. Los Angeles). That’s pretty cool! What’s cooler is how you can play as them. In this new trailer, you’ll see how you can pick one character to play as, then switch over to another character who is living their life independent of your actions. You might even catch them in the middle of some trouble! Or, start a mission with one character, pop out to give support as another character, then pop back in to your first character. Even cooler! Read more…
Tags: Grand Theft Auto, PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 10, 2013 in Videogames 
There’s a lot of ways to do an HD rerelease of a classic videogame. Do you go through and make sure everything looks and runs great, then make even further improvements like Bluepoint did for Sony’s Shadow of the Colossus? Or do you basically just tell the game to rerender at a higher resolution and call it a day like Capcom’s Devil May Cry? Square Enix thankfully put more effort into their upcoming rerelease of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2. (Admittedly, they had lost a bunch of source files and had to redo a bunch anyway, but whatever.) Check out this comparison video between the original SD version and the new HD remaster, making sure to bump the video quality up to 720p or 1080p. Read more…
Tags: Final Fantasy, PS3, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 9, 2013 in Animation, Comic Books 
DC’s latest reboot, “The New 52,” didn’t pop up overnight. Even if they were discarding all that pesky old continuity (sort of), DC had to build up to it and give an in-universe reason why the reboot occurred. Hence, Flashpoint, a storyline where the Flash wakes up in an alternate universe and must fix things, leading to The New 52 universe which made changes and merged the Vertigo and Wildstorm lines into the main DC continuity. There’s an animated adaptation by Warner Brothers coming out July 30 on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital. It’s called Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, and WB has put out this preview! Read more…
Tags: DC Comics, Flash, Warner Brothers
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 9, 2013 in Videogames 
Bit.Trip Presents: Runner2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien (or just Runner2) will get seven new “well-loved” characters, according to Gaijin Games. The characters will be coming as DLC to the Steam version this Thursday, while console versions will get the characters at an unspecified later date. Five of the characters remain a mystery, but two have been revealed: Razputin (“Raz”) from Psychonauts and Quote from Cave Story! Read more…
Tags: PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 8, 2013 in Videogames 
With Oculus Rift’s all over the place now, more and more tech demos and games have been popping up with support for the impressive virtual reality goggles. Perhaps one of the most exciting genres of expansion will be space flight sims. It works well with the current limitations of VR (sitting in one place, only able to look around) and is simultaneously impressive visually. Cymatic Bruce has returned to take a quick look at three recent space ship games: Delta Draconis, GoD Factory, and Space War. I must admit, my own Oculus Rift headset will be arriving in mere days, so this is a great look at what to prepare for. Read more…
Tags: oculus rift, spaceships
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